Some time went by, and the squadron of the Resistance fleet sent to back up Finn and Poe's excursion on Zakuul was nearing Exegol, where Rey had last been seen. The two generals had fallen asleep in the interim, Finn resting on Poe's shoulder, and Poe with his mouth wide open and drooling. The officers nearby desperately tried not to glance, but they were very distracting. And if Poe found out someone took a photo, well, it wouldn't be a nice tale to tell.

Fortunately, exiting out of hyperspace forced Poe up, who bumped into Finn. "Hey, Finn, we're here," Poe said. Finn did not move, prompting Poe to roll his eyes. A mischievous expression etched onto his face, Poe moved away from his fellow general, which caused the right side of Finn's body to fall onto the bench they sat on. He jumped awake, caressing the side of his head.

"Did you really have to?" Finn complained, giving Poe the evil eye.

"Yeah, I really did," Poe replied. "Couldn't resist. Anyway, now that you're up, we're here."

Finn shot up and looked out the window. The dark, blue-haloed Exegol hovered beneath them. Somewhere down there, Rey was searching for their former enemy.

"If Rey actually finds Ben, what're we going to do?" Finn asked.

Poe clenched his eyes at the thought. "Please, don't bring it up. I was actually somewhat relaxed just now."

Finn chuckled. "You're never relaxed."

Sighing, Poe replied, "Look, we'll just have to act nice. You know, happy, jolly . . ." His voice trailed off, losing all optimism and anticipation of the prospect. "Let me just sum it up. Wherever he is, I won't be."

"Nice, nice," Finn replied, nodding. "I'll be right behind you. That son of a . . . well, you know, almost killed me."

"Exactly! And he mind-raped me!"

"Ugh," Finn mumbled.

REY — WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS

Nearly two hundred yards separated Rey and the casually dressed person walking up a curved pathway in the World Between Worlds. Her heart beating at a breakneck speed, Rey moved closer. She gulped. It was Ben. It had to be.

"Ben! Ben Solo!" Rey shouted. Her call reverberated, and when it reached the person in question, he whipped around and jumped onto the pathway she was on.

An enormous, joyful smile broke onto Rey, and happy tears quickly followed. She began to fast walk, then jog, then full-on sprint. On the other end, Ben did the same. The stars and portals to other times in the galaxy's spacetime continuum represented an audience in the background.

"Ben!" Rey called again.

The distance shortened, and as it did, Rey could feel somewhere deep in her soul a light she had forgotten — one of wholeness and unity. She could now make out his somewhat oversized nose, bright brown eyes, and his signature, shiny black mane. Both she and Ben slowed up in order not to tackle each other. From her point of view, his form took up everything she saw. They stood barely a foot apart, staring at one another.

For Ben, it seemed she had not changed whatsoever. Her hair was still in three buns, and apart from the fact she carried Han Solo's blaster, a new lightsaber, and seemed wet, she was still the same old Rey. He inwardly prayed, though, that too much time had not passed.

"Are you . . . real?" Ben whispered. His eyes seemed glossed over, as if dreaming.

Without answering, Rey jumped into an embrace, squeezing his back tightly with her hands. He froze, his arms sticking out awkwardly, but then gave in.

"Ben, I found you," Rey muttered. "I found you. I found you. I did it." Her head, which rested against his shoulder, randomly vibrated. He could tell she was silently weeping. But this time, not in inescapable sadness and loss. To Rey, it seemed her whole body was on fire with change. Like a puzzle piece was reattached. The Dyad felt right. Good. Like coming home.

"How . . . is this possible?" Ben whispered.

"It had to be possible," Rey replied, loosening up and looking straight at him. "I thought I was going insane. It's only because I . . . or we . . . were separated."

Ben's eyes seemed glossed over, as if he were in a stupor. "You didn't forget about me?"

Shaking her head slowly, she laid a hand on his neck. "Dead or alive, I will never forget you."

Watching his eyes, it seemed he was about the business of inspecting every square inch of her face, as if memorizing it. "Thank you," he muttered. A tear ran down his cheek and onto her hand, but it didn't matter. He was home.

"You don't have to thank me, Ben. What you did for me . . . I don't care what you did in the past. Let it die, remember?"

Ben's expression contorted in fear. "How?"

"I'll be here for you."

Ben gulped. "You will?"

"I'll always be here for you," Rey answered.

Grinning in hope, he hugged her tightly, except this time, she was no longer limp in his arms, but warm and beaming with energy and light. He almost forgot what a true hug felt like. It had been years. Years and years of worshipping Darth Vader and being manipulated by Palpatine's pure evil behind the scenes. Rey was really the first person who did not fear what he could be. She knew him. So, they stood there, embraced as if one flesh, in the center of the World Between Worlds. Voices continued to resonate, and the wolves continued to create portals, and the stars continued to shine. It was like the most spectacular of dreams.

"Rey, where am I?" Ben asked. "How did you find me?"

"I had a lot of help," Rey answered, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I'll have a lifetime to tell you."

"Only recently did I start feeling your presence," Ben said. "It's like someone was trying to contact me."

She reluctantly pulled away, and looked around. "It was me. I was trying to find this place of legend. The World Between Worlds. You ended up here because Exegol is connected to it."

"I thought I would be left here to die," Ben said, looking down. "But after everything I've done, it was justice."

"That's not how the Force saw it, and that's not how I saw it," Rey replied, turning to look in his direction. He reciprocated. "It wants you to fix all your mistakes, and become the one Luke knew you could be. The one I knew you to be." She paused, taking him by the hand. He glanced down at her surprising move. She could feel him getting accustomed to her fingers, as if he forgot, too, what a hand felt like. "Come on, Ben. It's a new day. A new era."

In a slight form of rebellion, Ben stopped her, holding her hand from a distance. "Rey, wait." She looked back with a smile. Her entire expression was different. Like a child. She was happy.

"Yes?" she replied.

A tiny grin slowly dug into his face. His eyes were still well-watered as he soaked in everything. "It's just . . . good to see you smile. You've changed."

"So have you," she responded, tugging lightly.

"Rey, I'm . . . I don't know how to say this." His jaw trembled and shuddered. Weak, he fell to a knee, still gripping her hand tightly. Memories of the horrors of Kylo Ren returned. The tears just burst, running down his face, her fingers, and onto the surface they walked upon. Clearly, he was still trying to hold it back, as normal whimpers came out as pained grunts. Her heart sank. She fell to a knee with him, wrapping a comforting hand on his back. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry. For everything. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve another life. I don't deserve anything."

Massaging his back softly, Rey lifted his chin. His face was wrought, saddened, and internally wounded beyond anything she ever saw. But the tears were good — great — even. It was the rebirth of Ben Solo. "Ben. Ben, look at me." He strained to obey, and when he did, he found her eyes reflected the same, but also of hope. "You might believe that, and maybe you're right. But your father, your mother, your uncle . . . me, have always believed in Ben Solo. He's strong and caring, even if he tries to hide it. He's a Jedi, like his grandfather and uncle before him. He's the one who helped save an entire galaxy. He's done bad things, yes. But nothing is irredeemable. I will always believe in you. We all will."

The flow of waterworks ceased. He stared at her for nearly an entire minute, just focusing on slowing his breathing, figuring out precisely when she got so wise, and if saying those three big words would be appropriate for the situation.

Instead, he slowly, understandably nodded. Breathing in somewhat unevenly, Ben mustered the strength to rise. He felt like he got hit by Darth Vader himself or struck with the Force lightning of Darth Sidious. To help, Rey supported his far heavier weight by lifting his arm with the back of her neck. He glanced at her, her breath warming his face. "Let's get out of here," he said.

Together, they began to walk to a distant portal that led back to the mural underneath the Sith Citadel. The white wolves still circled each other. "Mortis," Ben said. "These wolves are connected to Mortis."

"Yes, they've helped," Rey replied. "They led me to you. I just had to overcome all your fears first."

He glanced at her again, confused. "Overcome my fears?"

She nodded, still helping him up the step to reach the circular portal. "Yes. Both Kylo Ren's and yours."

His eyes widened. "What were they?"

"For one, Darth Vader," she answered flatly.

Ben internally gasped. "How are you still alive?"

"He wasn't real. I just had to overcome his spirit, what he stood for. Good thing, too, because if he was real—"

"You'd be dead meat, again," Ben answered flatly. He immediately realized his curtness. "Sorry."

Amused by his unintentional bluntness, Rey laughed. "It's OK. We'll work on it."

Instead of a response, he put on another slight grin. As they both trudged forward, she sensed he was looking at her again, but she did not do the same.

Ben was simply admiring her patience. "What was he like?"

"Scarier than you," Rey joked. She expected a response, but he did not.

"What was my greatest fear, then?" he asked.

She thought back to the moment. "I have a question about that. I would've thought it would be anything but what it was."

Sensing what the answer would be, Ben gently pushed her body off him. He was able to walk stably now. Having closed the distance, the portal back to the material world sat ready for their entrance. He stood in its midst; his body dwarfed by it.

"Ben, it was me. My death was your greatest fear. Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied, not turning around. "Come on, Rey. I'm ready now." She stepped beside him. He softly led her in, his hand on her shoulder. The portal sucked her in, and she disappeared. Looking back once, the voices of ages past would always continue, reverberating into the infinity of the World Between Worlds. This had been his home for weeks since Palpatine's defeat. But now, his real home would bring him back. Then, at last, he stepped in, leaving the World Between Worlds forever.